Briefly noted

Nov 27, 2007

Utah voters defeated the nation’s first statewide school voucher program that would have been open to all children, even those not from low- or middle-income families. The measure to grant $500 to $3,000, depending on family income, for each child enrolled in a private or a religious school was approved by the Utah legislature in February, but opponents forced a referendum onto the November 6 ballot. The voucher plan lost by about a 60-40 ratio, prompting Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State to say, “Lawmakers in other states should sit up and take notice.”